There are many people who don’t identify as progressive andwho don’t read the Bible like “fundamentalists.” (Actually, fundamentalism as a movement has to do with a lot more than a way of reading the Bible, but that’s neither here nor there. If you want to learn more about this matter, though, check out this article.)…

Many Christians wish to be more inclusive of people with disabilities, but the “how to” can at times seem complicated, even daunting. Check out this short article on Seedbed on planning church events with special needs in mind. It’s written by Chris Roberts, Director of Special Needs at Woodlands UMC. 

If you read this blog very much, you may have noticed that I blog on issues related to disability a great deal. This topic is close to my heart because I have a seven-year-old son named Sean who has Down Syndrome. We also have another son, Luke, who is eleven. My wife and I have…

The case of Marlise Munoz presents a number of serious ethical quandaries related to life, death, pregnancy, and life support. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can do so here.  It is a very sad story, not only because of the unforeseen tragedy of the brain death of this young mother, but also…

I’m an ordained elder in the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. My path to become ordained, however, was more difficult than it should have been. When I say this, I know that I echo the sentiments of many people who have gone through the ordination process in the UMC, whether they are…

Many Christians I spend time with are deeply concerned about matters of inclusiveness. Sometimes by this they mean that they wish that their churches were more racially diverse. Others wish the church was more accepting of gay and lesbian people. Sometimes they mean to talk about socio-economic diversity. Only occasionally, however, are they talking about creating…

We often talk about various Christians in broad categories like  “conservative,” “liberal,” “evangelical,” “progressive,” and “moderate.” In this post, I want to explore the term “liberal,” because I think of these terms it is the most difficult to define. Part of the reason for the difficulty is that “liberal” has at least two meanings that…

So… I haven’t been able to blog nearly as much as I would like on this trip. Part of the reason is that I have been helping my son, Luke, with his blog, which is an assignment for school while he’s here. So if you want an update on the trip, check out Luke’s Blog…

Well, the best laid plans…. Over half of our group couldn’t make it out of Dayton or New Jersey yesterday. Most folks are here by now, but some are still in transit. All things considered, though, everyone here is in good spirits (but I can’t vouch for the ones who are still on the way).…

I’m heading out today for a contextual immersion trip to Israel and Jordan with a large group of students from United. This trip will also be led by Dr. Lisa Hess, Rev. Brian Maguire, and Rabbi Brad Hirschfield. Oh, and my son Luke is going, too. He’s eleven. Lucky kid, huh? I’ve been to many different…